The Road to Avalon 3: A Good Knight for Drinks
by Linorien
Summary: Part 3 of my Road to Avalon series. Merlin sent Lancelot to bring the other Knights of Camelot to Avalon before they cause any damage in the future. However, they have found someone else who has a big part to play.
1. Chapter 1

Lancelot and Mordred were practicing their sparing when suddenly; a voice could be heard singing. And it seemed to be coming from Merlin's direction.

_I've got the magic in me. Every time I touch that track it turns into gold. Now everybody knows I've got the magic in me. _Merlin smiled at their confusion and reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. He flipped it open. "Hello?" Mordred and Lancelot lowered their swords and walked over. "Yes, Heather, I remember you. What have you heard?"

The two knights could hear a muffled voice coming from the phone, Merlin had called it. They still didn't understand how it worked but they knew it meant you could talk to someone a long ways away. "I'll send Lancelot over tomorrow. Have a good day, Heather." He put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Lancelot. "Do you remember how to drive the car like I showed you?"

"I think so, why?" he asked.

"The rest of the knights seemed to have found each other in a town near Heather. I have some business to do here, so I was going to send you. That way you can tell Heather how much you enjoyed her strawberry jam."

"I don't know how to get to Heather's though."

"I'll have Peter plug it in to the GPS for you. It will talk to you while you drive and tell you how to get there."

"I can do that."

"Come, I'll walk you down to the docks and tell Peter the plan. Mordred, why don't you change into some comfortable clothes; I've got something I wanted to try with you here."

Lancelot made it safely to Heather's house and pulled up her driveway before walking the rest of the distance to the house. It was just as he had remembered, quaint and quiet. "Heather?" he called out.

"In the house." He heard a voice reply. He walked inside and found her in the kitchen. She turned and handed him a cup of tea. "Just in time." He accepted the drink gratefully; though he made it in one piece, the driving had been very stressful.

"I really enjoyed your strawberry jam, Heather."

"I am glad; it's your jam too." They drank the rest of their drinks in silence. "You will need to find your fellow sailors now," she said.

"Could you plug in the address into my GPS?" She nodded and they walked out to his car. She typed in the address and he got in. "Thank you again, Heather. Even if I never see you again, I shall not forget your kindness."

"And I won't forget you either. If you ever need anything, please stop by." She gave him a quick hug and he drove off. Following the GPS, he was lead to a bar, The Wild Stallion, in the center of town. He carefully parked the car inside the yellow lines as Merlin had taught him, and walked in. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see his fellow knights drinking at the bar and laughing uproariously. He rolled his eyes and walked over.

"Lancelot!" Gawaine called as he saw him. He nodded in greeting and grabbed the stool next to Elyan sitting on the end. He typically drank the least and so Lancelot knew he could get a reasonable conversation out of him.

"Do you know where we are?" asked Elyan.

"We are in the future." Elyan raised his eyebrows. He turned to Leon. "Lancelot says we are in the future!"

"To the future!" Gawaine yelled.

"And to Andrew's 21st birthday!" Percival screamed in response. They slammed their mugs together with a young man sitting between them and poured their beer down their throats.

"Who is that?" Lancelot asked.

"His name is Andrew," Leon explained. "He came to the bar to celebrate turning 21 years of age and being able to drink, but he had no one to celebrate with. Then Gawaine saw him and it turned into a true celebration. You said we are in the future Lancelot, I can believe that. Everything is so confusing. But do you know why?"

"Merlin does. He sent me to get you guys. He will explain everything."

"Then we need to get to Merlin before they get any more drunk," Elyan said as they finished another beer. The three sober knights stood and pulled their friends off the stools.

"Where we going?" Gawaine slurred.

"Home. You've had enough." Lancelot said. It took both Leon and Elyan to steady Percival. Together they walked out to the car. As Lancelot tried to push the drunk and confused knights into the car, another voice spoke.

"Sweet ride." It was Andrew. "Where are you going?"

"I've got to take them back home before they cause any more trouble," Lancelot responded.

"Can I come? I've always wanted to be a knight." Lancelot looked at him uncertainly. "I have some skill with a long bow and I've taken Tae Kwan Do." Lancelot didn't know how Merlin would react, but something about him seemed familiar. Maybe it was the same dream to be a knight that Lancelot had for so long before Merlin helped him achieve it. He glanced at Leon who shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure. Hop in." And with that, the five knights and Andrew, all squeezed into the car, drove back to Merlin's house. Singing all the way.


	2. Chapter 2

Lancelot pulled up to Merlin's house just as Merlin walked outside dressed in modern day clothes. The men unsteadily climbed out of the car and stumbled toward Merlin, who took one look at them and snapped his fingers. Instantly, they were sober. Now that their brains were working fully, they lined up out of habit and started to wonder where they were.

"Ah, I see you've met Andrew," Merlin said. They all wondered how he knew him already.

"So you are Merlin!" Andrew exclaimed. Merlin just grinned. "And these are the real knights of Camelot. Just like the stories."

"And soon enough you will learn your part in it all. I'm glad you have come to believe it yourself."

"I had been trying to figure out the clues you had left in my family history and then when these guys came into the bar and started drinking, it was too real to not be true. Some of the stuff they talk about when drunk is too crazy to be made up." Merlin laughed.

"Come on inside," Merlin said to the group at large. "There are some things I must tell you before we go any further." They walked inside Merlin's small house. Unlike the cave it held no signs of magic just in case people in the village stopped by to pay him a visit. They all sat down at the table and Merlin began explaining the basics. This was the future, it was their destiny to come back to help Arthur save England when the country was in peril, etc. No, he hadn't found Arthur yet. Yes, Mordred was here and they could trust him again. And obviously they should have listened to Merlin before. Leon filled them in on the occurrences in Camelot up until his own death and Percival finished the last bit of history. But then Merlin could avoid the touchy subject no longer.

"How come you know so much about the future?" Leon asked. "Lancelot said you had taught him to drive the horseless carriage and do other things." Merlin heaved a great sigh and looked at Andrew.

"You have it figured out, do you not?"

"Yes," he said simply.

"I never died," Merlin said quietly. "I have magic." He searched their faces to see how they would react. Shock first, as was expected, but none of them outright defied him. Leon nodded slowly.

"Gwen knew didn't she?" he asked.

"She figured it out and asked me about it before Camlaan."

"She acted a little strange whenever the subject of magic came up afterwards."

"How powerful are you?" Percival, all about the strength.

"The most powerful sorcerer who has ever lived!" Andrew declared before Merlin could be humble. The knights raised their eyebrows in skepticism. Merlin nodded in confirmation.

"That's my good friend! The best sorcerer around!" Gawaine reached over to smack Merlin on the back. "I always knew there was something different about you."

"You've saved our lives before haven't you?" Leon asked. Again Merlin nodded.

"Thank you for all of those times then, Merlin," Elyan said. "How many people knew?"

"It seemed like everyone we ever met in the forest knew who I was. Any one even close to a sacred site knew me instantly. Mordred knew, he is a druid and as weird as it sounds, they tell their children stories about me. Lancelot here figured it out. Gaius. He taught me a lot actually." Merlin smiled. "There was a reason you guys healed so fast. Then Morgana eventually found out that I was Emrys and that I destined to kill her."

"Wait, so were you the old sorcerer we chased through the castle after insulting King Uther?" demanded Gawaine.

"And who used us as steps to climb his horse in the woods?" Percival asked.

"Yes." Merlin grinned and shifted his appearance to be that of the old man that had infuriated the knights so often. "The one and only." He shifted back.

"I hate you." Merlin only laughed.

"Ahh, but without me and my disguises, you would not have lasted a week in Camelot. There was a reason I always insisted I come along on dangerous missions."

"I think we could have lasted a lot longer," Percival put in. Lancelot snorted in laughter.

"You all think I had slain the griffin, but it was only because Merlin enchanted my lance that it did any damage." Lancelot looked around the table at his fellow knights. "How many tasks have you completed that seemed nearly impossible? Remember when we were chasing those shadows that caused people to freeze up and Merlin was hit? When I took him to the nearest river for the night on the way back to Camelot, the river spirits healed him. They said they owed him. If that doesn't give you an idea of how much he has done for us, I don't know what might." The knights were beginning to look at him in awe as they were slowly putting the pieces together.

"The dragon; that was you?" Leon asked. "Even though the last Dragon lord had died?"

"He was my father. I am the last Dragon lord." His voice was tinged with sorrow.

"So when you and Arthur rescued us from Morgana's caves and you said you would deal with the dragon, it wasn't stupid at all." Gawaine added. "You really could deal with it."

"Yes. The dragon is named Aithusa**.**" Merlin smiled. "I watched her hatch. She is the last dragon."

"You saved Gwen didn't you?" Percival asked. Merlin nodded again. They thought about this for a while as each remembered other times when an enemy seemed to trip over nothing or when a lethal blow went wide.

"Did Arthur know?"

"Not until the very end."

"Where did you bury his body?" Leon asked. "We assumed it might have been buried by the rocks or taken by the enemy but I see now that you took him away.

"He was still alive and I tried all I knew to heal him. Nothing worked. Kilgharrah warned me that nothing would work." Merlin noted their confusion. "The great dragon. He was the one who told me that Arthur would come back one day. So I buried him somewhere no one would disturb his rest. I knew that if anyone knew there would be a constant flow of people there."

"Is that why we are all back?"Gawaine asked.

"I suppose so. It does make sense that if Arthur is needed to save England, he may need his finest knights and friends at his side."

"Then that is what we shall do." Elyan stood to his feet. "Take us to Arthur."

"Not quite so fast." Merlin motioned for him to sit back down. "Arthur has not yet awakened. You have some time yet to continue training with Lancelot and Mordred. Both your knightly training and learning the ways of this world. Then there is the matter of Andrew." The knights turned to look at the boy they had forgotten in all the excitement. "Andrew, what do you know of your family history?"

"Not too much." He thought for a moment. "I did a family history project in secondary school once. Err; I learned that no one in my family has ever had a sibling. We are all only children. We are an old family, dating back to the, wait." He looked at Merlin, with realization in his eyes. "No way! That's why you have been always near our family isn't it? I can't believe it." He glanced around at the knights. "No wait, I can believe it."

Merlin noted the knights' confusion and explained: "He is Arthur's direct heir."

"And we found him in a bar, celebrating his 21st birthday. Alone." Percival was amazed. Merlin laughed.

"Destiny has a way of making sure things come together. Trust me on that. Fate is a cruel mistress. 21st birthday you said? I lost track of the year in all this commotion." He stood and retrieved a package from a back room in his house. "Your mother asked me to give this to you today. It has been passed down for ages in your family." Andrew unwrapped the small box and opened it to find an old ring sitting on a small cushion. He looked at it curiously and slid it on to his finger. Leon looked at Merlin.

"That's Arthur's ring. Gwen had it last."

"She asked me to make sure it got passed down if anything happened to her. As Andrew could tell you, I have always been keeping an eye on the Pendragon family, making sure they stayed safe so that his line would continue." Merlin stood again and placed their cups in the sink. "On to our next order of business. I need to get you all to Avalon. I'll explain on the way."


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin leadled them one by one through the barrier in the cave and instructed them in picking out new clothes while he sent a message off to Mordred. They had been working on their long distance communication but since he was sending his message into a different world it took a bit of concentration. When the knights were done changing into clean clothes and had put their cloaks back on, Merlin changed into his outfit. The royal purple shirt with golden flowers along the hems, dark blue trousers, and black boots again made him look almost royal. His shimmering navy blue cape flew behind him as he walked. The thin silver circlet of his office rested gently on his dark hair. The knights were surprised, seeing him in all this finery, but after all they had heard today, they didn't question it. It seemed to fit him.

Merlin helped them to climb into his sailboat and they sailed off into the sunset. Then once again, as the sun touched the horizon, it reversed and the sky began lightening again. Everyone, including Lancelot was thrown off as he had only seen the sunrise reverse to sunset. Once again, Merlin laughed and explained that they were crossing into a different world.

"From here on out, almost everything is magic."Merlin continued. "With the exception of a few guests like you, everyone here has magic. Things may seem quite bizarre at first but you will get used to it." The rest of the short ride, Merlin fielded questions about what it was like to have magic and what they might expect to see on Avalon.

Merlin maneuvered the sailboat to his pier where Mordred and Peter were waiting on the end. "Greetings, Master Emrys!" Peter called out.

"Good morning, Peter!" he called back. "Lancelot, can you toss him the front line?" Peter caught the line and tied them up. Mordred helped the knights out of the boat, greeting them each with a firm handshake. When all the knights were out, Andrew was helped out.

"You must be Andrew Pendragon," he greeting the young man like one of the knights. "Welcome to Avalon."

The party walked through the city in wide-eyed amazement of the strange homes. From the mini Renaissance castles, to the high rise apartment buildings, everyone had their own taste and made it known. If it weren't for the magic, there would be some serious space issues. They made it to the home Mordred had made for himself and the other knights. It was familiar to them and very similar to a downsized version of Camelot with a few exceptions. Merlin had insisted on a modern kitchen so that they could learn to make food for themselves, a new bathroom for obvious reasons, and a comfortable sitting room to relax in at the end of the day.

"Mordred, Lancelot, why don't you help your friends get settled here?" Merlin proposed. "Show them around, make them bathe, and start some training if you wish. Andrew and I are going to go for a stroll." Mordred gave Merlin a mock salute and motioned for the rest to follow him.

"Where are we going?"Andrew asked Merlin.

"We will go to the beach where we can be alone." In silence, they walked to the edge of the water and sat on the low stone wall. "I need to make sure you know what part you have to play in all of this. It is of course your choice if you want to follow your destiny or not, but I can tell you that destiny has a way of chasing your down and bringing you along for the ride." Andrew nodded. "It is your destiny to stand by Arthur's side in all of this. You mentioned that you wanted to be a knight and I think that is a wise path to follow. Is that still something you want to pursue?"

"Yes, even more so now," Andrew said excitedly. "I know it is dangerous and all but it sounds fun. I heard a lot of their stories in the bar, gosh that seems like it was years ago, and I want to be a part of it."

"And be willing to die for Arthur?"

"I haven't met him, but he is my ancestor and the knights speak highly of him so I think I would. Not to mention all the legends sing his praises." He gave Merlin a queer look. "How true are the stories?" At this, Merlin looked uncomfortable.

"Some are very accurate, but others have it all wrong. It's best to put them out of your mind."

"Can you tell me what Camelot was really like then?"

"It might be better to show you." Merlin stood and walked back toward the castle in the center of the island. "You've heard of virtual reality, right?"

"Yea, but it's not perfect."

"That's because they aren't using magic with it." Merlin led the excited Andrew to his custom virtual reality room in the castle while explaining some basic parameters along the way. When they reached the room, it was empty and completely black with the exception of a blue grid painted on all six sides of the room.

"It looks like something out of 'Star Trek'!" Andrew slowly spun in amazement. Merlin muttered a long spell and the lines started to glow.

"I'm going to take you into a spare room first that way we don't startle anyone." And with that, they suddenly found themselves inside a fully furnished room in the ancient castle. "Welcome to Camelot."


	4. Chapter 4

Andrew glanced at Merlin and saw that his appearance had changed. He looked a little younger and was wearing simpler clothes. Light brown trousers with a dark brown jacket over a blue shirt. He also had a red neckerchief and a braided belt around his waist. He walked to the closet in the room and tossed Andrew some clothes.

"Put these on so that you stick out less. For all intents and purposes, we have just traveled back in time and are in Camelot. Which means any mention of the future won't make any sense. I'm just taking you for a short trip to see the place, nothing big. If anything goes wrong, whisper 'Beam me up Scotty' and you will be taken out of the virtual reality." He thought for a moment to make sure he had covered everything. "Oh, no mentioning my magic."

They walked out of the room and down the corridor to Merlin's room. Gaius wasn't in so he walked directly to the calendar on his bedroom wall. He thought for a moment before concluding that his aim was correct. "After the wedding, before the possession."

"Who got possessed?" Andrew asked. That hadn't been in the stories.

"No need to tell you." No use in his accidentally slipping up. "Let's go show you the castle." As they walked through the hallways, Andrew peppered him with questions and Merlin did his best to answer. Everything excited him, the tapestries included.

"Merlin!" A voice called from down the hallway. They turned to see Arthur stalking toward them.

"Yes Arthur?"

"Is my horse ready?"

"Your horse?"

"Yes, my horse Merlin," he said, exasperated. "The animal I ride. Remember? I said we were going on a hunt today."

"Now I remember. Everything will be ready in a moment."

"Good." Arthur turned to go and then stopped to point at Andrew. "Who is that? It's not some stray you met in the tavern is it?"

"No, just a friend visiting from home. Andrew, this is King Arthur."

"Honoured to meet you, your highness." He bowed in awe.

"Likewise I'm sure. Maybe you help keep Merlin here with his work." Merlin tugged on Andrew's sleeve and they hurried off.

"Is he always that demanding?"

"No, but he is king after all so that has its perks." Merlin led the way to the stables. "Do you want to join us on the hunt? We can return at any time."

"I wanna come." Merlin nodded and together they readied the horses. When they brought the horses around to the courtyard, the other knights were already there. They also asked who Andrew was. He told them the same story and added that he wanted to be a knight someday.

"Its hard work, lad," Leon said.

"Aye," agreed Gawaine as he mounted his horse. "Only the very best can be knights of Camelot."

"It's not that hard," Percival said with a deadpan expression. "Arthur let you in." They laughed and the rest swung up onto their mounts. Andrew successfully mounted his horse, though not quite as gracefully. A riding course as a young teen suddenly seemed a lot less stupid now as he tried to remember the proper way to ride. The small company took off and rode through the village as people on the side of the lane smiled at their king flying past.

Evidently it was to be a shorter trip today. They galloped out of the city but slowed to a fast trot before long. They soon dismounted in a small clearing and Merlin began to prepare lunch. The knights threw down their stuff and lay down against a tree. After a brief rest Percival said he would fetch wood for the fire. Andrew offered to go along and help. Soon enough, Merlin had stew cooking over a small fire. The smell made everyone hungry and the knights started their usual pestering.

"Merlin, when are we going to eat?" Gawaine whined. "I'm so hungry I could eat a cow."

"Well I'm so hungry I could eat your horse," Leon put in.

"That's it guys?"another added. "I would eat a whole dragon."

"I would turn the castle into a giant pie and eat that."

"But since magic is banned you will have to settle with my stew," Merlin cut in. "Bring over your bowls." They all got up and he dished them the soup. It wasn't long before they finished and were handed their bowls back with a thank you. He handed one bowl to Andrew and dished him the leftover soup, who drank it in appreciation. After Andrew finished his, Arthur announced it was time to move on. They stomped out the fire and mounted up. It was only a couple minutes until Arthur held up his hands to bring the party to a halt. He motioned to release the dogs. They sniffed around and then caught the scent of a deer. Arthur led the charge into the forest in hot pursuit. They rode for just over five minutes before the hounds, well trained, stopped short of the deer. The hunting party pulled up short and walked their horses downwind of their prey. Arthur motioned for the men to spread out and Merlin handed him his crossbow. The men quietly formed a loose circle around the prey while Merlin and Andrew hung back by the horses. The ring of men slowly closed in until, _snap!_ One of the men stepped on a twig that broke with a deafening noise in the quiet. The deer looked up and sprinted away.

"Shoot it!" Arthur yelled as he and the others tried to fell the fleeing creature. "Merlin!" Arthur yelled as all of their arrows fell short of hitting the target.

"I haven't moved!" he shouted back.

"It's always you who makes noise," he said as he stormed back. "I don't know why I even take you with."

"Because then you wouldn't have anyone to make the food, dollophead." Merlin retorted and the knights laughed.

"I am not a dollophead! You lazy good for nothing servant!"

"Find another servant then." Merlin took back the crossbow and put it in the saddle bags.

"Maybe I will."

"You tried that once and it didn't work. Besides, how many servants can say they have saved your life?"

"That was once and I got lucky. No skill."

"Whatever you say dollophead. I've saved your life more than that first time though." But Arthur could say no more because suddenly everything froze and then disappeared to leave them standing in the gridded room. Their clothes had been returned to what they were wearing before. Merlin walked to the door and opened it to a man standing there with a message in his hand.

"For you, Master Emrys." He presented the paper to Merlin with a slight bow. He quickly read the paper and turned to Andrew. "I need to attend to this. Sam, could you show Andrew here the way to Mordred's home? It's the newest one where all the knights are staying."

"Yes sir," Sam replied.

"The knights can answer any questions you have about Camelot." Merlin turned the corner the other way. "I'll be back for dinner."


End file.
